Thomas Alphonse Taylor

ST. GEORGE — Sir Thomas Alphonse Taylor, KCHS, died March 18, after a courageous battle against a lengthy illness. In 2001, Sir Thomas and Lady Pauline Taylor achieved high honors by being accepted and invested into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at St. Francis of Assisi Church in La Quinta, Palm Springs, Calif. They were subsequently promoted to the rank of Knight and Lady Commander. Taylor was a member of St. George Parish, St. George, Utah.

Taylor was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, May 6, 1925. He attended the University of Ontario, and Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force to serve during World War II. After an honorable discharge as Airman First Class in 1946, he married his wife Pauline, and they began their journey of more than 61 years together. They settled in Rodney, Ontario before moving to East Lansing, Mich., in 1964. They moved to St. George in 1981. Taylor’s achievements were the dean’s list honoree, school board trustee, volunteer fireman, coach for youth hockey, automotive businessman and commercial real estate broker, president of the Chamber of Commerce, lifetime member of the Elks, Paul Harris Fellow recipient, fund raiser and volunteer for the St. George Pioneer Court House, local symphony concerts, St. George Parish, and the Catholic Thrift Store for more than 25 years. He loved carpentry, genealogy, and golf. He finally got a hole in one at age 65.

He is survived by his wife, Lady Pauline, St. George; son Gregory (Jamie) Thousand Oaks, Calif.; son, Brian (Donna) Monroe, La.; six grandchildren, Sean, Michael, Jennifer (Shawn), Janelle, Kathryn, and Benjamin; two great-grandchildren, Quinn and Collin Bailey; sisters, Marion Kearns, and Margaret Race, Chatham, Ontario; brother, James (Iris) Taylor, Tucson, Ariz.

A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. George Catholic Church.